Effects of individualized acupuncture on sleep quality in HIV disease

Although it may begin at any point, sleep disturbance often appears early in HIV disease and contributes to decreased quality of life during the course of the illness. Relatively few studies have explored the complex nature of poor sleep quality in HIV disease or tested interventions to improve sleep quality. The purpose of this study was threefold: explore the nature of sleep quality in HIV disease, test the relationship between pain and sleep quality, and test the effectiveness of acupuncture delivered in a group setting for improving sleep quality in those who are HIV infected. A pretest, post-test, pre-experimental design was used to test the effects of acupuncture on sleep quality. Participating in the study were 21 HIV-infected men and women between the ages of 29 and 50 years who reported sleep disturbance three or more times per week and who scored greater than 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The Wrist Actigraph was used to measure sleep activity, and the Current Sleep Quality Index was used to measure sleep quality for 2 nights before and after a 5-week acupuncture intervention (10 treatments). Acupuncture was individualized to address insomnia and other symptoms reported by the participants. Sleep activity and sleep quality significantly improved following 5 weeks of individualized acupuncture delivered in a group setting

Potential unique causes of burnout for chiropractic professionals

Objective The objective of this narrative review is to discuss the potential for burnout in chiropractic practitioners. This discussion is grounded in the job demands-resource model, the conservation of resources model, the unique profession-specific stressors experienced by chiropractors, and information from similar health care professions. Methods A search using both the indexed (PubMed and PsychLit) and nonindexed psychosocial literature was used. Other resources included the Cochrane Library, articles from governing bodies of the chiropractic profession, trade magazines, and research conferences and symposium proceedings. Articles were analyzed following the grounded theory principles: open coding and memos for conceptual labeling, axial coding and memos for category building, and selective coding for model building. Results Potential stressors unique to doctors of chiropractic include factors associated with physical workload, role stress, and mental and emotional demands. Conclusions There are unique chiropractic-specific occupational characteristics that possibly contribute to burnout in the chiropractic professionals. These findings emphasize the need for assessing and measuring burnout and attrition within the chiropractic profession

The Five Eras of Chiropractic & the future of chiropractic as seen through the eyes of a participant observer

Chiropractic has endured a turbulent history, marked by tremendous advances in areas such as education and licensing while marred by interprofessional conflict and a poor public image. The prolonged interprofessional conflict was instrumental in shaping the culture of chiropractic. These obstacles have long-since been removed although there are lingering effects from them